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Jamshid IV Sagi
Jamshid IV was the twelfth monarch of Vicra. He was renowned for his enthusiastically social nature, and his deft diplomacy is credited with allowing Vicra to economically surpass its rival, Khovar. Early life Jamshid was born in 47 DR, to Darius Sagi - at the time, the heir to the Vicran throne. He was an outgoing child from an early age, and his frequent interactions with Darius' cabinet of advisors only furthered this tendency. Jamshid typically displayed disinterest for formal education, but in roaming the palace in his youth, he learned about administration through various ad-hoc lessons. Because of the nature of his education, Jamshid developed a pragmatic approach to rulership, but was less practiced in traditional etiquette. In his early adulthood, Jamshid was appointed as the Guestmaster of the royal palace, a position that largely involved scheduling meetings for Darius and his advisors. He threw himself into this job with enthusiasm, seeking to entertain local lords and visiting dignitaries while they remained in Gratium. Here, Jamshid developed a reputation as a personable, straight-talking aristocrat; this made him a humanizing face and a spokesperson for Darius' more cold and bureaucratic administration. Reign Jamshid took the throne in 84, and decided to immediately embark on an international tour. His intent was twofold: he hoped to establish friendly relationships with the neighboring nations, and by leaving Darius' advisors in power, he hoped to create a smooth transition of power. Jamshid met successfully with leaders in Pierroge and Dorio; at the latter, he presented Albus I with a Vicran quince tree as a symbol of friendship. Less successful was Jamshid's attempted visit to Khovar; Khovari ships barred Jamshid from Tocba's harbor, preventing him from even an audience with Mithras II. Upon his return to Gratium, Jamshid began canvassing his population; he wanted to discern the needs and wants of the nobility, as well as of other landed groups like judges and merchants. In many cases, people wanted individual favors that were simple to either grant or refuse, but discussion with the merchants made clear a looming problem. Darius' initiatives toward economic self-reliance, although they had pulled Vicra from its tailspin, were reducing demand for imported luxury goods and harming profits. This issue bedeviled Jamshid for some time, before he ultimately implemented a counterbalance: Jamshid identified those workshops that were producing the most stylistically distinct products, and subsidized their work to promote a "Vicranness of craft." This initiative proved successful in its execution. Perceived as exotic by mainlanders, Vicran luxury furniture became a popular export; this was especially true in Dorio, as the period of Dorio-Vicra tension had led to slower trade and the development of a mystique around Vicra. As a consequence, Vicra's trade with Dorio boomed in the 90s, robbing Khovar of its greatest economic advantage over Dorio. The "Vicranness of craft" initiative was not without its critics, though: those workshops that went unsubsidized suffered, and the popularity of a specific style led to homogeneity. As Jamshid aged, he became an avid reader, and in 102 DR he fell asleep while reading in bed. During his sleep, he knocked over a candle, and in the ensuing fire suffered severe burns. Attempts to treat Jamshid were unsuccessful, and he died several weeks later. Personal life Jamshid was seen as an ideal husband by many of Vicra's powerful families; however, he knew from an early age that Ashtorad Khurwit was his love. The two were married in 66, when Jamshid was just nineteen, and they had three children over the following years. Jamshid had apparently hoped for more, but Ashtorad's third pregnancy was a difficult one, and she was unable to carry any further children to term. Jamshid was devoted to his children, and frequently took his entire family with him to social events. Category:Vicrans Category:Sagi Family Category:Monarchs